1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing systems for geometrically measuring images. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing method for geometrically measuring medical images, a storage medium, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, radiography using solid-state imaging devices or the like have been developed and digital radiography of X-ray images using a computer has been gradually realized. Using such digital radiographic devices allows the contrast of X-ray images that have been already radiographed to be adjusted or allows failed images to be re-radiographed, thus contributing to the stabilization of the image quality.
With such digital radiographic devices, digital images are output as X-ray images. Radiographed X-ray images that are stored online in a data server or the like so that the stored X-ray images can be referred to, instead of outputting the radiographed X-ray images to a printer, have become popular in these days.
In medical fields, for example, in orthopedics, films on which radiation images are printed are not only observed and read, but also are used for the purpose of measuring geometrical information including the spine curvature (Cobb method). In geometrical measurement, measured points are actually marked by using, for example, a red pencil on films on which radiation images are printed and an angle between two straight lines each connecting the marked two points is manually measured by using measuring instruments including a rule and a protractor in order to geometrically measure the radiation images.
In addition, a method for measuring digitized X-ray images on a screen, without printing the images on a film or the like, is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-279399.
However, when radiation images, which are radiographed digital images, are displayed in a display device, such as a monitor, for diagnosis, instead of printing the images on a film, measurement using a protractor or a rule on the monitor increases the burden on a doctor and, therefore, it is difficult to measure the images and the measurement accuracy is disadvantageously decreased.